Dysphagia Recovery Blog

This blog is intended to offer helpful information about the issues people with dysphagia and their caregivers face in efforts to still enjoy the pleasures of eating and to recover from dysphagia. Please share any tips you have discovered along the way.

I had a patient yesterday that was a very agitated uncooperative Med A patient. I was really wondering how I was going to get my time in with him. He started yelling at me every time I even asked him a question. But, I got out my ISO-CTAR device and he showed interest. Then, I demonstrated how to use it, and to my surprise and delight, he actually wanted to try it. He was able to hold it himself and kept going and going and going! When he got so tired he couldn't do it anymore, he stopped and rubbed the muscles under his chin, and studied the device, nodding in approval.

Then, he kept it in his hand, and after a short rest, he SPONTANEOUSLY started using it again! He kept going until he was exhausted again. Then, he gave it back to me and said "No more!". He reluctantly cooperated with some cognitive tasks, and I was about to give up and cut the session short, and then he suddenly said, "Give me that plastic thing again!" He used it again until he was exhausted, thoroughly fatiguing the suprahyoid muscles. Even the most difficult patients love this device and use it until they are exhausted.

The increased motivation and endurance with exercises really seems to improve progress and overall outcomes for my patients, and it makes my job so much more fun! Don't we SLPs deserve some cool tools? :) Yes we do!